Dawn Staley sidesteps Geno Auriemma question after apology
By David Wasson
Published:
Dawn Staley is choosing to look forward – at least for now.
The South Carolina basketball coach sidestepped a question Saturday about UConn coach Geno Auriemma, who had issued an apology to the Gamecocks for his actions during a mid-court dustup Friday night at the Women’s Final Four in Phoenix.
“For me, no distractions at this time,” Staley said to the media after being asked about Auriemma’s apology. “Concentrating on a national championship.”
Auriemma and Staley had a heated exchange at mid-court in the closing seconds of South Carolina’s 62-48 national semifinal victory in Phoenix. Auriemma approached Staley for a postgame handshake, then angrily got in the South Carolina coach’s face before Staley started chirping back.
The two coaches were separated by assistant coaches and officials, with Staley still shouting toward the UConn bench. Auriemma said in his postgame news conference that he was frustrated that he waited three minutes for the pregame handshake with Staley.
Staley has South Carolina on the doorstep of a fourth national championship in 9 seasons. The Gamecocks take on UCLA on Sunday in the 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament national title game (3:30 pm ET, ABC/ESPN).
Staley also coached the Gamecocks to the national title in 2017, 2022, and 2024. She has taken the program to 8 Final Fours (including 6 straight) and is 511-113 overall in her coaching career in Columbia.
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An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
